Electric apparatus for separation of suspended solid particles from organic liquids



Au!- 11 1942- s. J. BUICKMAN. rr AL 2.292.608 l ELECTRIC APPARATUS FR SEPARATION '0F SUSPENDED SOLID PRTIGL'BS PRO QRGANIC LIQUIHS` Filed lax-ch 31, 19,39

lllllllll u Patented Aug. 1l, 1942 UNITED STATES PATEN azszgsos T OFFICE) ELECTRIC APPARATUS FOR SEPARATION v v F SUSPENDED SO ORGANIC LIQUIDS Stanley J. I Buckman an Louisville, Ky.,

Del

The present invention relates tothe removal of solid particles from organic liquids and has particular. reference to va novel apparatus for separation oi suspended particles from organic liquids such as coal tar and to an improved method involving iiltration of the organic liquid in a particular manner in the presence of an electric potential.

Processes of this general" type havebeenused widely in' the removal of solid particles from or-l ganic liquids. Generally, the liquid is passedv through a non-conducting tlltercloth which is supported by a pervious metallic surface-constituting one electrode connected to a source of high voltage f electric current, the other electrode,

usually being the iilter housing. The lpervious metallic electrode supporting the lter cloth may beary a charge of the same or opposite sign to the sign oi' the charge borne by the particles suspended in the liquid to be iltered. If this electrode bears a charge of the same sign as the charge borne by the particles, there is a repelling force exerted upon the particles as they approach the iiltermedium, while if it is ofjopposite sign the particles. are attractedto 'the iilter medium.

A principal object of the'present' invention is LID PARTICLES FROM a victor Frank maar, 1 asslgnors to American Creosotv ing Company, Louisville, Ky., a corporation of Y Application March s1, 1939, serial-faro. zss,zsz i (ci. aol- 299) member bearing. a charge' of the same sign as thek ticles yfrom organic liquids 'in which a main filtration-chamber is providedwith a transversely extending yforanirious electrically conductive iilter l chargeborne by the particles to be removed from the liquid, insulated walls Vand flooring below the transverse yiilte'r member, a removable tray-type electrodefpositioned adjacent the lower portion of the ii-ltration chamberand of opposite sign to the iter member, upwardly'extending non-con#- ducting outer -walls on the lelectrcadegvan inlet compartment f below the electrode, .aridiv a revers- `ible pressure pump adapted tofsupply-liquid to o the inletcompartment.'

the liquidsfunder pressure through: la directly charged foraminous filter memberbe'arlng a charge ofthe-same sign as the' charserborne'by particlesto vbe, removed fromtheliquids. periodically. discharging theresulting discrete cake from the lilter memberrby reversal of liquid :liow-i'liere,

-. through; r`and receiving and concentrating the to provide an improved method and'apparatus f for theelectro-mechanical iiltration'of organic liquids employing a relatively low voltage directcurrent.

An additional object is the provision oi ap- 'paratus of` the type described having an electrically conductive filter member directly exposed to the organic liquid containing particles to be removed and constituting one of a pair of electrodes having a relatively low potential impressed therebetween and being of the same sign as the charge bome by thcparticles,- therealso being provided a pressure-increasing device responsive to a change 'in' rate of iiow through the iilter member.

Another object is to provide an electromechan- I ical iilterhavinga main lter chamber'with an 4electrically conductive horizontal foraminous illter member above the bottom as one electrode anda removable tray type container below and spaced from thev illter member as the other elec-- trode'. the ,operation of the illter involvingvalternately passing a ilow of liquid upwardly through the filter member during the filtering operation land downwardly therethroughr during a short cleaning period while the trayl electrode is in po- 'sition.

A further object of the invention is the provision -of `mechanism for separating solid par- Lcalce adiacenti a surface rbearing electrical charge of opposite sign to that of thelter member. the iilter member and surface being 'con-. v

'lnectedV toga relatively low voltage-. supply.' or di? rectcurrent..Vv Y ,I

vThese and other objects oi' the.inventionwillv be observedl upona considerationof the'following specification .and by reference Lacompgnyr.

ingdrawing,iii'whichffl o 1 Fig.' 1 isfa 'central' sectional viewshowlng apparatus constructed in accordance tlrth'e invention;and j Fig. `2. is ajtop view ofjthepapparatus, .brokenaway, showing an'end the tray-typeelectrode maybe: removed.-

partly Various organicllqids 'such "as -coal' tar, -coalv taroreosot'e, crude-' petrolepm ,lubricating oils. and transformer 'oils'. contatti i pended kinsoluble solid fparizicles,` the elnovalf either for recovery -of the particles or for puriiicationfoithe liquids. Forjlexample,A in the impregnation ofwood with coal-tar it is desirable li :hat1tl 1e `coal tar' be relativelyiree from insoluble particles fwhichhave a plusgns-"e'ect and render it a costlyand-time-consuming operation to obtain the desired retention andy distribution o! thecoal tar throughout the necessary portion of the woods- Thepuriiication offcoal tar constitutes a preferred application of the invention and the process apparatus will lie-described `in particular with-reference thereto.

Ordinary methods'of, filtration prove unsatissul; anothernbiectisto mterforsahuquids containing suspended vsolici particles fby passing .doorthrough which e 'which is' desirable ,e

' ofmechanism may be forated .metal plate or grating I8.

factory in the case of coal tar which contains suspended particles, the difficulty being due largely to the viscous characteristic of the liquid. The amount of the insoluble particles in the coal tar will depend upon the previous treatment which the liquid has received, but usually is of the order of about 11/2 to 31/2 per cent, based on the weight of the liquid. Ordinarily, the particles contained in the coal tar will have an average size of about one micron. The viscosity characteristics of the coal tar are such that particles of this size and nature will not settle out on standing over an extended period. Use of previously known methods and types of equipment involving electromechanical filtration does not improve upon the results obtained by ordinary ltration sufficiently to render such methods and apparatus of particular benefit in purifying the coal tar.

In accordance with the present invention the coal tar to be purified is passed through apparatus of the type shown in the drawing. This apparatus includes a main filtration chamber provided by the upper housing IIJ and the lower housing II. The housings I and II form together a compartment of rectangular cross-section, as will be seen from Fig. l, the plane of jointure between the two housings being spaced well above the bottom of the lower housing and somewhat `below the top of the housing I0. The housing I'I is provided with flanges I2 and the housing I0 has the flanges I3. Any suitable type employed for releasably holding the flanges I2 and I3 together. The seal between the upper and lower housings is suiiicient to withstand the liquid pressure incident to the filtration operation.

The upper housing I0' is provided with a liquid outlet I4 and an electrically -conductive post I5. Extending transversely of themain filtration chamber in substantially a ber I6 such as a woven stainless steel wire cloth. The particular weave of the cloth will depend upon the nature of the liquid to be purified. In the filtration of coal tar a cloth of the 50 x 750, strands per inch type may be employed.

The filter member is mounted in an inset in the housing I0 adjacent its plane of jointure with the housing II. On its lower face the filter member is supported by a thin metallic grating II which may have 80 per cent or more open area. On the top of the screen I6 is mounted a per- VPreferably the plate I8 is corrugated to provide adequate drainage. The grating II and the plate I8 yafiord support to the lter member I6 regardless of the direction of flow of liquid therethrough.

horizontal manner is, an electrically conductive foraminous filter mem- 26. It is preferred that the insulating material extend partially across the inlet compartment 22, as shown in the drawing.

Running longitudinally of the bottom 2| of the ,housing II are a plurality of tracks 21. Mounted on the tracks is a tray-type of cathode having a metallic base 28 substantially parallel to the metallic filter member I6 and spaced be- `loW the latter a. distance which may be of the order of about 1 foot. The plate 28 has mounted about its edge portions the upstanding walls 29, which are constructed of insulating material. It will be noted that the plate 28 is somewhat smaller than the filtration chamber so as'to provide space for flow of liquid about the ,walls-23.

To the bottom of the plate 28 areY mounted a series of rollers 30, the latter being positioned to travel along tracks 21, so that the entirestructure supported by the rollers may bewithdrawn from the filtration compartment through the end door 3i thereof. The door 3I may be of any suitable construction and is mounted in liquidsealed relation at the open end of the filtration chamber, as by means of the wing nuts 32.

To the bottom of the metallic plate 28 is secured an electrical connection 33, this line passing through the inlet compartment 22 and being insulated with respect thereto. Within the inlet compartment the conductor` 33 is of sufficient length to allow the tray-type electrode to be withdrawn from the filtration chamber. The line 33 is sealed in liquid-tight relationship with respect to the inlet chamber 22 by means of conventional compression nuts 34 and 35.

The device described is operated in cycles, inv cluding an initial period during which the pump 25 passes coal tar under pressure through the inlet opening 22, about the tray-type cathode. l

through the filtery member I6, and outlet pipe Inl.

The transverse filter member I6 may be spaced about 300 F., at which temperature the liquid will have a viscosity of about 1.0 centipoise or less. It is significant to note that the liquid in the filtration chamber comes directly in contact with and passes through the charge-bearing wire cloth anode I6. The particles in the coal tar bear a positive charge and as the coal tar passes through the filter member the potential between the filter member and the cathode 28 results in immediate clarification of the coal tar and the formation of a type of cake which subsequently 'source'of direct electric current by means of the line I9, and the conductor 20 extends from the post I5 directly to the filter member I6. It Will be seen'that the filter member I6 is electrically charged and constitutes an anode directly exposed to the space therebelow.

The bottom 2I of the housing II is provided with a'central downwardly extending inlet compartment 22. The entire housing is grounded as indicated at 23.

An inlet pipe 24 connects with the compart ment 22 and leads to a reversible pressure pump 25, the latter preferably being of the gear type.

The interior walls of the housing II are provided with an insulating material indicated at is readily freed from the filter member. The

fiowj through the filter member may be of the order of, 10 gallons per square foot per hour, ywhich is many times greater than the possible iiow in a normal filtration operation in the case of liquids of this type.

Building up of the filter cake with continued operation results in an increased resistance to flow through the apparatus. The flow may be maintained approximately constant by increasing the pressure exerted by the pump 25 as the resistance to flow increases. Normally, this in.-

crease in pressure will be effected by increasing the speed of the gear pump. When the resistance of the filter element builds up to such an extent as to require undue pressure to maintain flow therethrough, the flow through the filter chamber may be reversed. The reversal may be made when a pressure of the4 order of 100 pounds per particles-oil' of the plate 2l.

union eected by the operation. The potential wire illter member mation of the desired type of'illter cakes directly suspensions.

.which it resistance -from the illter member ed square inch .isnecessary to. a satisiactoryilow through the-iilter member. Reversal oi theow causes the cake attached to the under side."o i".,.the iilter member tobe kicked oi! toji'alldownwardly into the tray-type cathode. 'I hereai'tenthe ilow through the illter againmay ybe directed upwardly torcommence a newvcycle Q !operatio tray-type cathode is not adversely adected iny operation by deposition of the separatedsolids thereon. Qn the contraryfthe cathode eil'ects a concentration or theparticlesfso asto conserve the amount ,ofA liquid wasted in removing the particlesi'romthe process. Y The same'rsi'gn 'of the charge on the particles being separatedirom thecoaltar-and on the filter member permits the oi' ai wire cloth larger beemployedto obtain immediatev claricatin.

'I'heelectrical repulsion exerted -by lthe 'filter '1I seems to prevent clogging'oflthe member i l the wires oi the tllter member openings .between and'cases face of. the wirecloth Vwithout unduly' clogging it'. It appears .that when liquid containing suspended solids-comes within the immediate vicinity of the charged illter member the direct repulsion exerted by the chargeon the member causes the particles in the coal `tar to pile\up on the under side of the element without undue impregnation of the interstices thereof. l

The opposite charge carried by the cathode- 2l in effect results in an electrodeposition of carbon particles on the plate. The tray issuillciently large to hold anumber of the cakes kicked on' from' the illter member. 'I'he tray may be o t such size as to require removal for cleaning once f each day. The carbon particles which constitute c the principal solids separated from the coal tar theiormation of a cakeon-thefunder i chamber in ordervto remove 'discharged cakev Y charge of cakey from the lter member is desir- A V able order to maintain the desired r'ate yof .intersticesfthan 4otherwisefcoul'd movingit I rom the liquid being iilte'red 4interuiliting the' are deposited on the tray in intimate contact withplate 2l and as Vthese particles are good conductors of electricity they do not interfere with the functioning ot theplate as a cathode. It sometimes is necessary tochip the carbon vbecause of thefiirm between the illter member and the cathode is too lowto exert a distinct retarding eil'ect on the particles inthe liquid being ltered priorv to. their coming adjacent the illter member. Likewise, the attractionv exerted by the cathode may not be suilicient to exert' a substantial 'attraction for the particlescontained in the coal tar passing e through the illtration chamber toward the filter the repulsion exerted bythe is sufiicient to cause theformember. However,

on the iilter member and the attraction exertedA is suiiicient to-exert a concen- -Vtrating eiIect on particles in its vicinity and to' by the cathode retain these particles againstre-susp'ension `in the coal tar. The desired actions are exertedfby the anode and cathode regardless oi the size ot particles in the liquid. T hese particles may vary in size from those which exhibit colloidal-properties to those which have the properties of coarser The immediate initiating the illtering operation and the nature vof cake which is built up makes it teasibleto remove the cake at frequent intervals before the thicknessiof the cake builds up to the point at to ilow therethroughis unduly increased. and concentration by the cathode o! the thin cakes thus frequently discharged clarincation obtained upon versible pumping means for passing liquid under pressure in reverse directions through said liquid 'be made in the ltrode charges being a material withoutremoving `it from the filter chamber. The same current which is utilized in the filltering operation at the anode also eiIect's at the cathode a" concentration of the pieces 0fillterfcake discharged-from the anode,'thereby making it unnecessary periodically to\remove an appreciable-quantity of liquid from the lter fromthe-unlteredliquid system. AFrequent dishereinv for purposes of explanation without departing from the 'scope of the invention as dened by the appended claims. For instance, Athe reversible liquid lsupply system.' may include a pump inthe outlet pipe. iorreversing the ilow through the illter member during the cleaning period.

We claim:

1. A device forv removing suspended solid par` ticles'from an organic liquid. comprising a lter chamber having -an electrically conductive foraminous illter member electrode horizontally disposed, a second imperforate electrode removably positioned below .said member and substantially parallel thereto, non-conductive upwardly extending'sides on .said second electrode, electrical connections from a direct current source of about 3,000 volts respectivelyto' said member and said Vsecond electrode, and pumping means for4 passing an organic ymeans being reversible todischarge particles from' the filter member.

2. A device for removing suspended solid particles from an .organic liquid, comprising a lter chamber having 'a lterelectrode, a horizontallyv disposed removable-plate ty'pe Aimperforate electrode parallel to and below said iterzelectroifie,- said plate-type electrode having `non-conductive upwardly` exs tending sidesspacedfrom the sides of said cham'- ber. a liquid inlet below said lower electrode, a liquid outlet above said illter electrode, and reinlet and said illter. electrode, the charge on said iilter `electrode being of the same sign as-the charge on said particles and the charge on said plate-type electrode being of'opposite sign to the chlge on said particles, the source of the elecdirect current of outside generated. electrical energy. v i

3. A device for removing suspended` solids from an organic liquid, comprising a iilter chamber having a directly exposed horizontally disposed porous metalelectrode having openings therein eeuve1y disposer of the inches.. It Awill be recognized that many changesmay structure 'and process.` described a liquid 'containing suspended solidparticles upwardly throughsaid illter member under an increasing pressure, said to provide downward flow horizontally Adisposed porous dimerl electrode, supporting means for said Y ,and substantially parallel to 4 sufficiently small to filter said-particles, a hori-l zontally disposed removable plate-type imperiorate electrode positioned in said chamber below sandv porous metal electrode, the charge on said plate-type electrode being of opposite sign to the charge on said porous metal electrode the source of said charges being a direct current of outside generated electrical energy and said plate-type electrode having upwardly extending non-conductive sides spaced from the sides of said able door on the end of said chamber adjacent chamber, a remov' said plate-type electrode, and pumping means ber positioned below and opening into said bottom, insulating meansV for said sides and bottom, ahorizontally disposed porous metal illter electrode positioned'in vsaid housing above said bottom, a horizontally disposed particle receiving plate-type imperforate electrode removably positioned on said bottom in spaced parallel relation with respect to said iilter electrode, Athe charge on said filter electrode-being of the same sign as the charge on the particles to be removed from said liquid, and the charge on said platetype electrode' being ci opposite sign to 'the charge orf said particles the source of said charges being a direct current of outside generated electrical energy, a door member serving as side of said housing adjacent said plate-type electrode, and pumping means for passing liquid upwardly through said inlet chamber, about saidYplate-type electrode, and upwardly through said porous metal electrode and for reversing' the ow of said liquid to dislodge solids deposited on said porous metal electrode, whereby said solids are received by said plate-type electrode.

` STANLEY J. BUCKMAN.

VICTOR FRANK HRIB'AR. 

